Ranchi

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT RANCHI - PAGE 3

RANCHI: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Jharkhand government on Friday transferred as many as 20 officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS) and one of the Jharkhand Police Service. Accordingly, 12 of the 24 districts of the state, other than capital Ranchi, will get new superintendents of police (SPs), said a notification issued by the state government. As per the notification, Mr Shambhu Thakur will be the new SP of Ranchi (city) replacing Ms A. Vijay Laxmi, whereas Mr Hemant Toppo, waiting for posting, will be the new SP of Ranchi (rural)

RANCHI: Voting for the third phase election to the Jharkhand Assembly began today at 7 AM in 17 constituencies spread across eight districts. A 50,16,657-strong electorate, including 23,55,728 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise to choose among 289 candidates, including 26 women. Chief Electoral Officer P K Jajoria said that six helicopters were engaged for air surveillance and airdropping of polling and security personnel. Security forces are keeping a close watch in the Maoist-affected areas where 1,957 booths have been marked as highly sensitive and 1,477 as sensitive booths.

RANCHI: BJP's Dinesh Oraon was unanimously elected as the Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly today. Chief Minister Raghubar Das proposed his name and Social Welfare Minister Louis Marandi seconded it. Taking up the proposal, Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi announced Oraon's election as unanimous. Oraon, who was the only one to have filed nomination yesterday, was escorted to the chair by Das and former chief minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren .

NEW DELHI: Known more for his changing hairstyles than his on-field endeavours in the initial part of his cricket career, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was always careful of his mane and he frequented a small salon in Ranchi called the 'Manly Beauty Parlour'. In his latest biography penned by veteran journalist Biswadeep Ghosh titled "MSD, The Man, The Leader", the author narrates the hairy tale of the simple Ranchi boy, who became the most sought after cricketer of the country and shifted to expensive parlour's from small hair-cutting salons.

RANCHI: A survey is underway to identify unused land with public sector units (PSUs) in Jharkhand and use it to rehabilitate people displaced in the ongoing demolition drive in the state, a minister said Friday "A survey is underway in the state. Officials of all districts have been directed to find out the land leased out or given to PSUs, coal and private companies. There are reports that that the PSUs and private companies acquired much more land than they required," Land and Revenue Minister Mathura Mahto told reporters here.

RANCHI: BJP's national spokesman M J Akbar today won the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Jharkhand, defeating Haji Hussain Ansari of the JMM by 19 votes. "Seventy-eight out of a total 80 voters cast their votes. One vote was found invalid, leaving a total of 77 votes," Returning officer Sushil Kumar Singh told. "M J Akbar who got 48 votes was declared winner while Haji Hussain Ansari got 29 votes," he said. The 82-member House has one vacant seat and a nominated MLA who doesn't have the voting right.

RANCHI: Moderate polling has been recorded in the first four hours of voting in 17 Assembly constituencies spread across eight districts of Jharkhand with about 30 per cent of the electorate exercising their franchise. Polling has been incident-free so far, barring protest by villagers in three booths of Simaria constituency for about 15 minutes demanding basic amenities such as water, road and electricity, officials said. The villagers in booth numbers 147,148 and 149, however, exercised their franchise soon after the district officials assured to look into their grievances, the officials said.

RANCHI: Polling will be held tomorrow in 17 seats in Jharkhand in the third leg of the five-phase Assembly election where voters will decide the fate of 289 candidates, including former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi, ex-Speaker C P Singh and three ministers. Voting will begin at 7 AM tomorrow in the 17 constituencies spread across eight districts amid tight security. It will end at 3 PM in 14 constituencies while the exercise will carry on till 5 PM in Ranchi, Hatia and Kanke constituencies.

RANCHI: A day before UPA Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's Jharkhand visit, Congress today said chances of JMM President Shibu Soren supporting him are positive, although he has chosen to defer the date of announcement of his choice for the July 19 election. "I met Shibu Soren and Deputy Chief Minister Hemant Soren last night and their responses were very positive. The JMM is also supporting the UPA at the Centre," AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said. The JMM has authorised Soren to decide the party's stand on the Presidential poll . The party has 18 MLAs in the Jharkhand Assembly and three MPs. While Mukherjee is scheduled to visit Ranchi tomorrow, his opponent PA Sangma will be here this evening.

GARHWA/RANCHI: Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today said as the pace of the just laid out direct cash transfer scheme depended on speedy enrolment of Aadhaar he would talk to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to speed up things. "The direct cash transfer scheme is related to Aadhaar numbers. And in some districts the enrolment process is slow. I will speak to the UIDAI authorities," Ramesh, who ended his three-day visit of Maoist-affected Latehar, Palamau and Garhwa districts covering to and from Ranchi about 700 km, said.